Sara’s Spanish Gazpacho
Tomatoes at the Umpqua Valley Farmers Market in Roseburg, Oregon.
September is here! The days are still warm (even hot!) and the garden’s bounty remains plentiful—tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and onions still overcrowd my kitchen counter. In my mom’s world this means it is time for gazpacho! My mom is a self-proclaimed master “food recycler” and has been on the #UseItUp trend since I was a child. She was notorious for making large batches of food for me and my four siblings and then reusing parts of the meal as sides for meals later in the week—never letting a single tupperware container of food go to waste. I learned a lot cooking with my mom, particularly how to see the possibility in every wilting vegetable or dribble of sauce left at the bottom of the bottle. This vegan gazpacho is one of my favorite things that she has taught me how to make. It really is perfect for hot days and using up the bounty of the tomato season.
This isn’t the first recipe from my mom that I’ve featured on Grounded Grub—her Carrot Ginger Soup is perfect when the weather is cold, but this is a special recipe. This recipe comes from a Spanish-Ameircan colleague of my mom’s and friend of the family, Sara, who brought this Spanish version of Gazpacho into our lives over a decade ago. When my mom learned that this delicious cold summer soup is made differently in Spain she was quickly fascinated and then hooked. When asking about her favorite parts of the recipe: “Not only does my family like it better than the chunky American style,” she says, “But it is faster to make because it is blended rather than chopped – which means you can use up your slightly tired or “ugly” produce too!” Sara was an artist with a spirit that brightened the room. She was a supporter of justice and equity in education who pushed everyone around her to be their best—but could also make my mom giggle till their tummies hurt. When Sara passed away from cancer a hole was left in my mom’s life. Making this bright, vibrant gazpacho is just one of ways that we carry Sara’s legacy with us.
Ingredients
2 lbs of fresh tomatoes (diced): use garden tomatoes if you have them – if flavor is weak, add a little tomato paste or Ketchup
1 red bell pepper (seeded and diced)
1 small-ish cucumber (peeled if skin is bitter)
1 small red onion (chopped)
1 clove of garlic (chopped or use a teaspoon of minced)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2 Tbsp sherry vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 pinch of cayenne
salt & pepper to taste
optional: one piece of French bread soaked in water for 5 min
You will need a food blender or processor for this recipe. Don’t have one? Ask a neighbor or consider buying one second-hand. There are some amazing models out there that can last a lifetime.
Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a high power blender or food processor and puree until smooth and creamy. Adjust flavor with salt & pepper, hot sauce (like Cholula), vinegar, and/or tomato paste.
If the blend seems too seedy, then press through a wire mesh with a wooden spoon.
Chill for 4-6 hours or overnight before serving.
Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche or sour cream, and crackers or bread. Choose vegan options if preferred. Garnish with chopped cucumber, green bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, avocado, tomato, almonds—you can get really creative with this!
Gazpacho will stay tasty up to three days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Best Practices:
As always:
Avoid packaged produce, or really anything packaged for that matter. This is not to say that you’ll always have the option, but when you do, go for it! For example, you may sometimes tomatoes in plastic clamshells. Due to new recycling laws and international trade, these often have a recycling number on them but cannot actually be recycled. Additionally, things like spices can often be found in bulk (rather than in small containers), if you find a market that offers this option, give it a try!
Try to bring your own bags when you go shopping for these ingredients, and try to find them locally when you can!
Make sure you’re not buying more than you think you’ll reasonably use! Nuts are a very water intensive crop, so you want to make sure you’re making the most of what you buy. That said, essentially all of these ingredients (like the nuts, shallot, garlic, spices, and sun dried tomatoes) can last a long time in your pantry (but not forever), so if you buy more than you need, you’ll likely have plenty of other opportunities to use them. It’s important to note however, that nuts do go stale, and often much quicker than most people realize, so if you have a jar/can/bag laying around in the house, taste them every once in a while to ensure you don’t miss their peak quality!
These ingredients have been chosen with several things in mind:
This recipe is inherently seasonal. We’re publishing in mid-September because you may have lots of these ingredients to use up. This recipe would not be very suitable in the winter (it’s cold!) and the flavors of the tomatoes and peppers are simply not as deep out of season!
This recipe itself is very versatile and can work as a main course, a snack or appetizer, and can be paired with different breads and vegetables to create a variety of interesting flavors. You can add more of less of the tomatoes, peppers and cucumber to make the most of whatever you have.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let us know! If you really loved it, share it on social media and tag us (@groundedgrub), or, better yet, share it with your friends and family!
A special thank you to my mom and especially Sara for this recipe. You have modeled what deeply supportive friendship looks in work, play and all of life.
